Saudi Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SJMPS)
Volume-5 | Issue-12 | 1041-1047
Original Research Article
Cross-Sectional Analysis of Current State of Arts and Community Pharmacists' Attitudes toward Value-Added Pharmacy Services in Bulgaria
Stefan V. Balkanski, Joana I. Simeonova, Ivan G. Gitev, Ilko N. Getov
Published : Dec. 11, 2019
Abstract
Value-added pharmacy services (VAPS) are not connected with traditional pharmacy activities and do not include services, related to dispensing of medicines and professional consultation. A cross-sectional study that included pharmacists working in the community pharmacies in Bulgaria was carried-out. The pharmacists` attitudes toward VAPS and an implementation of remuneration were studied. The most commonly offered VAPS were blood pressure (BP) measuring with confirmation of 67.4% of the respondents and blood glucose (BG) measuring - 12.9%, but 42.9% of the pharmacists were willing to provide the different VAPS. Most of the respondents (63.5%) did not support the idea of implementation of a fee for BP measuring, but 53.7% considered it is necessary to charge a fee for BG measuring. VAPS are proven to have added value from societal, healthcare and economic point of view, but additional remuneration should be provided.